Wednesday, May 29, 2013

First line: "Once upon a time, I was a girl called Callie."I was highly skeptical when I heard about this faery-inspired alternate history that takes place in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. I had trouble imagining how heartless foreboding faeries (which I always picture as woodland dwellers) would fit into the dry and dusty climate of 1935 Kansas. It turns out Zettel did an amazing job - the malevolent otherworldly creatures are masters of illusions, and are fond of extracting promises which they honor to the letter if not the spirit.Callie LeRoux is growing desperate as her mother has disappeared and money and supplies at their bed and breakfast are running perilously low. Naturally, no new business is forthcoming, as the remote village of Slow Run is quickly becoming a ghost town. People are abandoning their lives, picking up and moving away in the night, in hopes of finding any kind of relief from the crushing poverty they face in Kansas.Callie's certain the sudden arrival of the haughty and demanding Hopper family, clearly well-to-do, is just the stroke of luck that will help her pull things together. Unfortunately, she couldn't be more wrong. She and hobo runaway Jack end up fleeing for their lives, as Callie struggles to hide her biracial heritage from both humans and fae. I loved the imagery of the evil fae as locusts over the land. Much of the book feels lonely as Callie flees across the empty Midwest towards California. You know that dream you have where you're being chased and you're running and running, but just can't seem to get away? It feels like that. This book was a lot scarier and less romantic than I had thought. I'd recommend this for mature middle-grade and teen readers who enjoy a bit of a scare along with their history.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

First line: "I am seven years old. My father takes me to a witch burning."This story has a strong sense of the medieval time period... if faeries and dragons co-existed in an uneasy truce with humans. Seventeen year old Tess lives in a small peasant cottage with her mother and abusive stepfather on the edge of a tiny village. She fights her compulsion to explore the nearby cursed Dragonswood on a daily basis, but gives in nearly every night, sneaking out to enjoy nature and spy on dragons. Tess lives in terror of being married off to a gross wealthy old man chosen by her father, or worse of being accused of witchcraft - she didn't ask to be gifted with fire-induced visions.Following the death of her infant brother, and the arrival of an aggressive witchhunter, Lady Adela, who seems eager to fill a quota, Tess and her two best friends, Meg and Poppy, make a run for it. It takes Tess a long time to warm up to Garth Huntsman, a ranger they encounter in their travels. Of course, he turns out to be the same man from Tess's visions. As various elements from an ancient prophecy begin to come together, Tess finds herself negotiating between Onadon, the former fey king, Lord Kahlil, a very senior dragon and the (mostly) human royal family. A nice treat for fantasy fans, Carey skillfully weaves several mythologies seamlessly together into a rich and complicated world.

Friday, May 24, 2013

I've been seeing this felt board around for a while, and finally decided to make my own version. I love it! I start out with the pieces turned around, and flip them when they get "eaten." Easy to make, and the kids go wild over the "bites" in some of the apples.

I modified this rhyme a bit:

Five little applesHung in a treeThe farmer wasn’t looking.So guess who came to eat?A worm! Munch munch munch!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

This week's Top 10 Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is Top 10 Favorite Covers of books you've read. Here are mine:

Wow, I guess I have a thing for dark blue covers with a splash of red! One important thing about a cover is that it promises what kind of story lies within, and I think all of these do that very well. As far as The Selection goes, there are dozens of "girl in a pretty dress" covers, but I really do love this one. Sidekicks, written by the same guy responsible for the Word Girl tv show really grabs your attention with that roundhouse kick. Bunheads and Lost Voices - no secret as to what those books are about: ballerinas and mermaids, respectively. The thing that I like about Divergent's cover is that it very subtly reminds readers of Catching Fire - you know it's going to be an exciting dystopian right away. I like the swirling red effect on Vesper. The Raven Boys is one of those covers that the internet simply cannot do justice to. You must see it in person! The white background has a light pearlized effect, and the darkness of the raven's wings hides all kinds of details. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was one cover that I didn't know what to make of, at first. I wondered if it took place in New Orleans, since the mask reminded me of Mardi Gras. What you can tell from this cover is that the book is going to have secrets (it totally does) and that it's going to be awesome (it definitely is.) I like that The Time-Traveling Fashionista features an illustration, not a photo, and that she looks so carefree. It's right on the edge of being a mature middle-grade read, or a young YA and I think that comes across. Finally, Pink is another cover that grabbed my attention because of the stark contrast between the pink and black - a lot like what the main character goes through in the book!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica MorganPoppyJune 2011First line: "Arugula, put them down. You know thigh-high sandals give you cankles."Sixteen year old Molly Dix is shocked to discover that her biological father is actually Brick Berlin, a rich and famous Hollywood movie star. Molly is overwhelmed after the loss of her mother to cancer and even more stunned when she moves from her small town in Indiana into her father's mansion. Brooke Berlin is the bratty shopaholic half-sister that she's never met and is none too pleased at this sudden intrusion into her domain. Meanwhile, Brick's heart is in the right place, but he's never been the sharpest knife in the drawer and cluelessly thinks that the girls will quickly become the best of friends.It takes Molly and Brooke a long time to settle their differences and realize that the real enemy is a catty "friend" of Molly's who's been pumping her for info to sell to gossip magazines.Cocks and Morgan, the creators of the GoFugYourself.com, deliver plenty of typical Hollywood shenanigans including run-ins with the paparazzi, exotic health food diets, celebrity children with "unique" names such as Arugula, wild house parties, cute boys and a social scene with plenty of backstabbing young starlets. Compare to:Gossip Girl - Cecily Von ZiegesarPrivate - Kate BrianL.A. Candy - Lauren ConradThe Princess Diaries - Meg CabotI received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttonsby Eric Litwin, illustrated by James DeanHarperCollinsMay 2012

Litwin and Dean can't go wrong! A funny, catchy book, easy to sing, popular at storytime, teaches subtraction, and a great message: don't cry over spilled milk (or missing buttons, as the case would have it.) Pete's trademark grooviness is evident as he waltzes past a beach and an ice cream truck, losing buttons all the way. When all the buttons are gone, there's one more surprise... Pete's still got his... bellybutton! Don't miss out on this wonderful crowd pleaser.

What a sublime book. It's just a touch creepy, but the the hilariously inspired silliness of a carrot actually being terrifying prevents things from getting too serious. I loved lines such as "terrible carroty breathing" and the "soft.. sinister... tunktunktunk of carrots creeping." as the main character, a bunny, fears he's being stalked by ill-intenioned carrots. There's a limited palette of black, white and orange, which makes reading this book feel like watching an old horror movie. Plenty of carrots on the end pages, too. Creepy Carrots would be great for Halloween or anytime.

I borrowed this book from the library.

Squid and Octopus Friends for Alwaysby Tao NyeuDial Books for Young ReadersJune 2012

Squid and Octopus are wonderful and charming in this collection of short stories of two best friends with a gentle sense of humor. Each of the stories emphasizes how the two have got each other's back for encouragement and support. I like the limited palette of white, blue, green and yellow and the cute artistic style. Squid and Octopus are sure to join the ranks of other dynamic duos such as George and Martha, Frog and Toad, and Bink and Gollie.

Busy detailed pages, some in graphic novel format feature plenty of sidebar info and speech bubbles. Think Richard Scarry's insane labeling crossed with the humorous hidden details of Martin Handford's Where's Waldo series with a decided transportation bent. This is sure to be endlessly pored over by young airplane fans.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

As always, my list of things "to be read" seems hignormous. That's a word I just made up to mean "huge and big and enormous."I'm cleaning it up - removing duplicate titles, deleting things that should have been deleted long ago and so forth.Here are most of the books I'm removing. If anyone sees anything that looks like a terrible tragedy to miss, let me know in the comments, and I'll (sigh) add it back to the list.